NEW DELHI: BP CEO Bob Dudley and Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani have promised to accelerate investment of $5 billion in the next few years to boost natural gas output gradually from 2014 while the government has assured quick resolution of pending issues, including approvals for the D6 block, government and company officials said.

The investment includes testing of a new layer of natural gas under the rapidly depleting fields in the KG-D6 fields, a joint statement from Reliance and BP said. It said "optimisation" plan from the existing field will reverse the fall in D6 output from next year, while other developments in the same block will deliver results by 2017. Dudley, who is a member of the business delegation accompanying British Prime Minister David Cameron, and Ambani gave the assurances in separate meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Oil Minister Veerappa Moily, officials said.

Mukesh Ambani said the partnership of BP and RIL would help the country attain energy security. "The BP and RIL partnership is focused on finding more hydrocarbons and addressing the complexities of the geology along the east coast of India," he said. Dudley said: "We will bring all our expertise in deep water to explore the prolific gas basins in India and BP looks forward to a rewarding and successful exploration programme in the coming years."

Government officials said Dudley was upbeat about investment in India. "In his interactions with PM and Petroleum Minister, BP chief was bullish on company's India plans. The government too has assured him to resolve all pending decisions expeditiously," a senior official with direct knowledge of the matter said.

BP and RIL chiefs met Moily over breakfast on Tuesday along with RIL Director PMS Prasad, BP India head Sashi Mukundam and Petroleum Secretary Vivek Rae. BP and RIL apprised Moily about prospects of D6 and other blocks and sought the government's support in enhancing oil and gas output. BP is 30% partner of RIL in several oil and gas blocks including KG-D6, which is under CAG scrutiny.

Last month, RIL accused CAG of exceeding its brief and seeking "propriety" audit of the private company, which is not envisaged in production sharing contract (PSC). After the dispute was brought to the notice of bureaucrats at the oil ministry, DGH had refused to issue approval letters for the block's work plans and budget since 2010-11. The oil ministry has now decided to clear KGD6 block's past and current budget and direct the contractor to carry on further exploration of the block, while making every effort to resolve the fresh dispute between CAG and RIL over audit matters, officials said. "It is criminal wastage of time for a country, which imports more than 80%. Pending issues must be resolved but they should not be allowed to jeopardise future developments," one official said. The oil ministry has again requested the CAG to conduct audit of private companies as per PSCs, which provides for only financial audit, officials said. "CAG can always conduct performance audit of the ministry where it can scrutinise accounts of private companies including RIL. Private companies have no objection to that," an official said.